Construction Hiring Remained Slow in January

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The construction industry had 231,000 job openings on the last day of January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 14,000 in January and are down by 1,000 from the same time last year. “While construction hiring accelerated in January, rising to the fastest rate since the first half of 2025, that’s unfortunately not saying much,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The … Read more

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Nearly 9 of 10 US Construction Workers Not Union Members, Says ABC

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According to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Union Members Summary, 11.1% of U.S. construction industry workers belong to a union, an increase from 10.3% in 2024, vs. 88.9% who do not. The BLS reported that 995,000 construction industry workers were members of a union, while 8 million chose to pursue their careers in merit-based construction in 2025. The construction industry grew to 9 million workers in 2025. “Merit shop construction employment reached an all-time high in 2025. This demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of construction workers prefer to work in an … Read more

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Construction Input Prices Surge in February, Says ABC

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Construction input prices increased 1.3% in February compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 1.3% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 3.1% higher than one year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 3.7% higher. Prices increased in all three energy categories last month. Natural gas and unprocessed energy materials prices were up 10.9% and 6.0%, respectively, while crude petroleum prices were up 4.7% in February. “Construction materials costs surged in February due to significant … Read more

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Construction Materials Prices Surge in January, Driven Again by Tariffs

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Construction input prices increased 0.7% in January compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.6% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 2.3% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 2.9% higher. Prices increased in 2 of 3 energy categories last month. Crude petroleum and unprocessed energy materials prices were up 1.8% and 0.4%, respectively, while natural gas prices were down 2.9% in January. “Nonresidential construction input prices rebounded in January, surging at … Read more

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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Solid 27,900 Jobs in January

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The construction industry added 33,000 jobs on net in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 44,000 jobs, an increase of 0.5%. Nonresidential construction employment expanded by 27,900 positions, with gains in 2 of the 3 subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added 25,100 jobs, while nonresidential building added 3,600 new positions. Heavy and civil engineering lost 800 jobs in January. The construction unemployment rate was 6.9% in January. Unemployment across all industries decreased to 4.3% and is 0.3 percentage points … Read more

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